Multitude Monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2965. No more cast for Rebekah
2966. a split chin for Jacob (and nothing worse)
2967. a great night at Art House North. Exactly what I needed :: time with Kirb, time for reflection, remembering, understanding myself even better! (thanks Brie for taking care of the troops at the last minute)
2968. the peacefulness of a sleeping child :: taking the time to be still and just stare
2969. sleeping in
2970. our Saturday morning wake up crew
2971. a safe, fun youth group retreat for Jacob
2972. Joe handling a disappointment so well
2973. a warm home on VERY cold winter days (and nights!)
2974. the return of ABOVE zero temps
2975. safe travels on nasty roads
2976. fresh, beautiful, powdery snow
2977. taxes filed! (federal anyway, the state isn't yet ready to accept our submission)
2978. encouraging news
2979. a good first week of the new "job"
2980. more creating (and the resulting happy customers are fabulous too)
2981. delivering my art to a friend who had a major role in the inspiration for the creation in the first place (I learned this week that artists can't help but create as a way to process through life :: I'd never heard it put that way before and it lined up so many things inside me. I love when that happens. Thank you, Sara, for pointing it out!)
2982. helping :: it is so true that giving is such a blessing (and the "little" things are usually bigger than the "big"things, it would seem to me!)
2983. a good section swim meet for Joe and Lydia
2984. tweeking my homemade deodorant recipe and coming up with just what I was hoping for! (even great through the workout test!)
2985. Rebekah getting back in the pool again
2986. Lydia's generous hair donation (11 inches) :: even more meaningful than Rebekah's donation earlier this fall, since we didn't yet know about my mom's cancer at that point.
2987. some good family time

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

Multitude Monday

What a crazy couple weeks it has been (months, actually!).

I went along with my mom to her oncologist appointment  on the 14th and without getting in to all the details (there are lots of them), the news couldn't have been better! Praise God! She looks great, does NOT require chemo and will be on hormonal therapy for about 5 years. We couldn't be happier.

So, here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2904. High School registration night :: how can it be true?
 
2905. comforting, encouraging, loving, beautiful words from a friend (thanks Katie!)
2906. a few long-separated sock pairs reunited
2907. a sparkly clean toilet
2908. Anna's afternoon magic show
2909. Sara singing "Holy, holy. God Almighty" along with JJ Heller
2910. fun news
2911. excitement for our new pastor
2912. Wednesday night at Central
2913. adorable babies
2914. my parents hard work
2915. Sara's singing -- she's always singing, that one!
2916. good news from Dr. Ogren (my mom's surgeon). No chemo. Praise God!
2917. Dr. Cheema
2918. great oncology appointment
2919. the excitement in church on Sunday
2920. the Lawrence family
2921. creative inspiration
2922. friends willing to help out
2923. Kirb :: over 20 years now and I'm still crazy about him
 
2924. a fun, impulsive (and safe) trip for Kirb to a basketball game at Notre Dame with a friend
2925. a friend I hadn't heard from in a long time wanting to get together
2926. friends
2927. warm corn bags to heat up your bed on chilly nights
2928. sunshine
2929. ABOVE zero temps after a cold snap
2930. Kirb :: my hero who came to my rescue when I couldn't get up the nerve to get out of the car after coming home late at night and seeing a BIG animal run right in front of the car and into our back yard. Thanks goodness for cell phones. I called him and he got out of bed and came out in the below zero night to walk me in and protect me from whatever creature was in our yard
2931. a chance for my dad to re-connect with his youngest brother, Brent, before he died
2932. a peaceful ending for Brent
2933. my parents home again
2934. meeting little Ella Grace (my cousin's little girl) -- what a cutie!
 

2935. a nice shower after a hard workout
2936. Sara NOT crawling into our bed in the middle of the night . . . for 2 nights in a row
2937. a good book
2938. being healthier
2939. the wii telling me for the first time ever that my BMI was in the "normal" range (as opposed to overweight -- which is what it has always told me in the past)
2940. authenticity
2941. book club night :: friends, laughter, fun
2942. coffee coupons + a gift card from Christmas
2943. Parenthood :: my favorite TV show. Love, love, love it!
2944. looking forward 5 weeks :: the chance to pick up a friend from the airport
2945. being available to help
2946. Kirb's "Biggest Loser" contest at work -- he's rocking it so far!
2947. re-connecting with a friend that I'd lost touch with
2948. Joe
2949. girl friend day!
2950. HARD laughter
2951. compliments. sincere compliments
2952. a delicious cheeseburger and fries split with a friend
2953. a massage
2954. Kirb working on our taxes
2955. the beauty of freshly fallen snow
 
2956. a chance to see far-away family
2957. a new "job"
2958. lowering scale numbers
2959. falling snow that looks exactly like you live inside a snow globe
2960. a wonderful 600+ piece district orchestra concert :: both big girls playing their violins
2961. Lydia's fun 5th grade concert/play at school
2962. friends
2963. broken glasses covered under warranty
 
2964. creating things
 

Happy almost-February already, may you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way in 2013 and take the time to make note of them.

Flashback Friday

A Christmas-picture Story::

In case you haven't heard . . . or have forgotten, I give you the story behind our traditional "bed picture" at Christmas time:: When Jacob was not quite 1 we wanted a family picture to put in our Christmas card. We took quite a few (non-digital, I might add!) and the one we liked best was of the 3 of us laying on our bed. The next year it was just the 3 of us again and we decided to try and recreate the picture since it had turned out so cute . . . and thus began an unintentional Stoll family tradition of the bed picture. This year we knew we'd have trouble all fitting on the bed comfortably (even though we don't spend too much time on our Christmas photo session 8 people on one bed get crabby pretty quick), so we thought we'd shake it up a bit and take our picture outdoors. But we couldn't give up the "bed" completely. Thus the "bed"-in-the-field idea was born. Since that needlepoint that my mom made us has been in every single picture, we couldn't leave it out either. Our picture was taken on a gloriously warm and sunny Thanksgiving Day. 2012 marks the 14th anniversary of the Stoll family "bed" picture. 13 years and 5 more kids later, we're all still on the "bed" (it was really two long tables, topped with twin mattresses and covered with our bedspread) for our annual picture.

joe, jake, anna, lydia, rebekah, kirb, shana & sara :: 2012

and a little flashback for you, starting where it all began. here are more than a decade worth of stoll christmas pictures. enjoy::

kirby, shana, jacob: 1999

kirby, [pregnant] shana, jacob: 2000

kirby, jacob, [pregnant] shana, rebekah: 2001

rebekah, kirby, jacob, shana, lydia: 2002

kirby, lydia, jacob, shana, rebekah: 2003

kirby, [pregnant] shana, lydia, jacob, rebekah: 2004

jacob, kirby, joe, shana, rebekah, lydia: 2005

jacob, kirby, rebekah, shana, joe, lydia: 2006
kirby, jacob, rebekah, joe, [pregnant] shana, lydia: 2007

kirby, lydia, anna, joe, shana, jacob, rebekah: 2008

jacob, anna, kirby, rebekah, joe, lydia [not quite pregnant] shana: 2009

kirby, joe, shana, teeny baby sara, rebekah, anna, jacob, lydia: 2010

kirby, anna, shana, sara, joe, jacob, lydia, rebekah: 2011

Multitude Monday, a day late

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2883. Lydia's smile
2884. reflecting on another year and all that it held :: ALL IS GRACE!
2885. New Year's with the Newman family
2886. friends who listen to your whining and complaining and still love you
2887. 24 hours shared with dear, dear friends
2888. double stuf oreos with peanut butter :: my favorite!
2889. Buffalo with my mom and Sara
2890. a few new orders
2891. fun surprise blessing in the mail :: letter stating that a nearly $1000 repair that we did to our van in 2011 (not covered under warranty) will be reimbursed by Chevy due to some manufacturing defect that they've discovered. Praise God! (now to find that receipt from the service!)
2892.  provision right when you need it
2893. mom's oncology appointment scheduled :: finally the results we've been waiting for and a plan from here on out
2894. excitement of this week for our church
2895. a great swim meet for the kids
2896. the look on Joe's face when he saw his 4 BLUE ribbons!
2897. a special "cast bag" on loan from a friend so that Rebekah can shower without help (well, except for getting said cast bag on and off -- she needs help for that)
2898. more crafting
2899. getting back into the swing of running
2900. another beautiful morning sky
2901. 5 years of Elijah. Praise God. I remember that day so well.
2902. Sara's dancing
2903. looking through all the pictures we took over Christmas

this one is SPOT ON in capturing their personalities

Anna's new shorter (and straighter) hair

4 generations of girls

Happy January! May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way in 2013 and take the time to make note of them.

Multitude Monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

since it's been over a month since last I posted my thousand gift list, so I'll just highlight some of the "gifts" from the past month instead of listing them all ::

2814. glorious sunrise
2815. a fun, successful craft sale weekend
2816. having #2815 behind me
2817. peace that passes all understanding
2818. prayer
2822. my house
2823. great, understanding, mature, compassionate kiddos
2824. friends who cry with you in the aisle at Costco
2825. friends who stop in/text/call/email to check on you
2826. hugs
2829. Jacob immediately donning his pink football socks
2830. a working dryer again on the exact day that I really needed it (puke!) :: God is in the little things too
2831. prayers, support and love felt on all sides
2833. sunshine on fresh snow :: so beautiful
2834. the smell of a live Christmas tree in the house
2835. pink chocolate chip cookies baked on the other side of the country :: with a side of prayer!
2839. CaringBridge
2842. a full mailbox
2844. 20 people singing carols around our player piano :: good friends who join us for dinner and fun at the last minute
2846. a skilled, caring, humble surgeon
2849. good initial reports and successful surgery for my mom
2851. that sparkly, beautiful, glitter-like snow glistening in the moonlight
2852. a evening driving around looking at Christmas lights. the 8 of us and my parents
2855. a mother-daughter-mother-daughter coffee date :: laughter, tears, presents, coffee (and one hot water) and lots of LOVE
2857. dinner with the Lawrence family
2859. siblings excited to give gifts to each other and genuine happiness at what they received
2860. the joy of giving
2863. needing to shop for new jeans because even my "skinny" ones won't stay up
2867. Sara's humoor
2868. snuggles from Joe
2871. Lydia's hair finally long enough to donate :: it means even more now (now we just need to find a time to fit a haircut into the schedule)
2873. Kirb and the 2 big girls singing at the Christmas Eve service
2874. snuggling with the 3 sleepers (Joe, Anna and Sara) as Christmas Eve turned to Christmas Day :: watching the candle light encircle me as I stayed in my seat and everyone else made a circle of candle light around the sanctuary. I loved that perspective
2875. a not-too-terrible run following more than a month without running
2877. small world connections
2878. preschool Christmas programs (our 10th one at Roseville Lutheran!)
2880. shoveling for neighbors who are out of town
2882. fun baby news!

I started 2012 with gift #1858 (which was "after Christmas bargains"). That's more than 1000 gifts this year! God is good!

Happy New Year! May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way in 2013 and take the time to make note of them.

Merry Christmas

Wow, it's been more than a month since I've posted anything here. For those of you who know me well, you know why. Just after Thanksgiving my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and it's been a whirlwind of a month. We did our best to pretend we hadn't found out this news for about a week or so, since I was having a big craft sale at my house the weekend after the news and my mom was in charge of all the food for our church's Advent Brunch that same day :: a traditional Swedish brunch meal for a couple hundred women . . . she sure is exceptional, that lady!

Since then our family has had Christmas programs, concerts, a HUGE snowstorm and now we are somehow at Christmas Eve already. My mom had a mastectomy on the 13th of December. The surgery went well and the initial results from the lymph nodes they are testing looked good, but we still don't have the complete report on that yet. She is looking as fabulous as ever and is up and around quite a bit. She walked her Christmas packages in to town to mail, has babysat my kids a time or two, braved a couple trips to the mall, attended Christmas programs and went for a long (and painful :: lots sibling bickering and one particularly grumpy Stoll kid who was pretty much set on ruining everyone else's fun) drive last night with us to look at Christmas lights. The lights were beautiful :: our favorites were the Lake Phalen light show that runs from 5:30 until 10 from now until New Years Day and this super cool, enchanted forest-type property on S. Owasso Blvd. It is the very coolest private lights display I've ever seen -- we discovered it probably almost a decade ago and have driven by at least once a Christmas season since then. Last year (or was it 2010?) they didn't do it and we were afraid maybe they'd sold their house or had just quit, but we were thrilled when we drove around the corner and saw it all lit up last night! There may have even been clapping and cheering -- which further irritated the scrooge in our midst!

The day after my mom's surgery our nation (and the world) shared in some deep sorrow at the news of the Connecticut school shooting. That news, too, hit extra close to home for our family because my dad attended Sandy Hook Elementary School when he was about the age of a couple of my kiddos. I don't know that that connection makes it any more devastating for us than it is for anyone else, but it does hit a bit closer to home for us knowing that my dad walked those same halls as a little kid and learned in those classrooms -- we were looking over his Sandy Hook Elementary report cards (I don't know how my Grandma managed to save all that stuff -- as a fellow mother-of-6. I don't know that I could even come up with the current year report card for all my kids -- let alone have them all organized 50+ years later :: although I guess she only had to keep track of them for about a decade, and then my uber-organized mother took over the job of keeping track of them) the Sunday after the shooting when we were over at my parent's house for lunch. My dad has always been a very intelligent, academic, studious type and that was reflected even in those early report cards -- with the exception of music, in which he got a C. So my lack of musical giftedness is a genetic "gift" from my father and any gifts my kids have in this area are not genetically linked to their Grandpa Carlson, I guess. Although we will credit him, in part, for their intelligence, skill in visual arts and love for riding a bicycle.

So, it has been a month full of regular December craziness coupled with a lot of extra emotions, information and doctor appointments. I have been so thankful for friends (and mere acquaintances) who have gone above and beyond the "I'm so sorry" to really reach out and encourage, support, pray for, cook for and give practical help to us during the past few weeks. God is so good and so are his people.

Even during this hard month, we have found many, many things to be thankful for. Even more of them, I'm certain, than we would have found without this cancer diagnosis in our family this month. Most days I (and I can only speak honestly about my own feelings) have felt very peaceful, hopeful and optimistic about this whole thing . . . but there are have those other-end-of the spectrum moments that have been hard and I've cried (sometimes in the middle of the Costco aisle) and wondered why her. I adore my mom. She is wonderful and I couldn't love her more or imagine a better mom. She is probably the healthiest person that I know (she eats great, is in fabulous shape, exercises, and I can't think of a single vise :: she doesn't smoke or drink -- no alcohol, pop or even coffee). Not that life is fair, or cancer is fair. I know that it isn't. But it just seems even a bit more unfair that it would come to her. I think that the hardest part, for me, of this whole thing was telling the news to my kids (and I didn't even tell them, Kirb did. He's my hero.). They adore their grandma and she is such an integral part of their lives. Overall, they took the news well, but I thought I had them pegged as to how each one would respond, and they surprised me. It was harder on a couple of them than I expected, and the 1 or 2 that I was most worried about did better than I expected. Thankfully, we had oblivious Sara, dancing around and singing, as the rest of us were crying, to lighten the mood a bit! I have been so grateful to Kirb through all of this. I know he loves my mom so much too, but he has been strong for me and for the kids and has pretty much done everything around here for the past month -- which, if we're being honestly, isn't that much different than any other time.

This feels a bit disjointed to me, but I want to close by wishing you a VERY Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with blessings.

The Stoll Family 2012 :: taken on Thanksgiving Day

 So, here is an excerpt from one of my very favorite books, The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones (pick one up if you don't have it. Yes, even if there are no children living at your house!). It is her paraphrase of Isaiah chapters 9, 11, 40, 50, 53, 55 and 60.

Dear Little Flock,
You're all wandering away from me, like sheep in an open field. You have always been running away from me. And now you're lost. You can't find your way back.

But I can't stop loving you. I will come to find you. So I am sending you a Shepherd to look after you and love you. To carry you home to me.

You've been stumbling around, like people in a dark room. But into the darkness, a bright Light will shine! It will chase away all the shadows, like sunshine.

A little baby will be born. A Royal Son. His mommy will be a young girl who doesn't have a husband. His name will be Emmanuel, which means, "God has come to live with us." He is one of King David's children's children's children. The Prince of Peace.

Yes, Someone is going to come and rescue you! But he won't be who anyone expects.

He will be a King! But he won't live in a palace. And he won't have lots of money. He will be poor. And he will be a Servant. But this King will heal the whole world.

He will be a Hero! He will fight for his people, and rescue them from their enemies. But he won't have big armies, and he won't fight with swords. He will make the blind see, he will make the lame leap like deer! He will make everything the way it was always meant to be.

But people will hate him, and they won't listen to him. He will be like a Lamb -- he will suffer and die.

It's the Secret Rescue Plan we made -- from before the beginning of the world!

It's the only way to get you back.

But he won't stay dead -- I will make him alive again!

And, one day, when he comes back to rule forever, the mountains and trees will dance and sing for joy! The earth will shout out loud! His fame will fill the whole earth -- as the waters cover the sea! Everything sad will come untrue. Even death is going to die! And he will wipe away every tear from every eye.

Yes, the Rescuer will come. Look for him. Watch for him. Wait for him. He will come!

I promise.

Love, God

flasback friday

puffer vest and cords :: I was a pretty hip 6-year-old {if you disregard the hair, that is}

Happy Thanksgiving

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.

¹ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. May you find much for which to be thankful today.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2795. my Bible study girls
2796. lots of crafting
2797. Pandora
2798. mother-daughter time with my mom
2799. Beka's generous donation of 13 inches of gorgeous curls to make a wig for a cancer patient ::

 
 
2800. celebrating a life well-lived, although much too short
2801. coupons
2802. Anna practicing her piano lesson
2803. my bestie home safely from a 15-day work trip to Asia and back with her family
2804. a fresh-looking and less-shaggy 13-year-old after a much-needed haircut
2805. our thankful tree from my mom
2806. a winter-ready garage
2807. beautiful weather well into November :: not something to be taken for granted as a Minnesotan
2808. my husband's servant heart
2809. clean sheets
2810. hanging laundry on the line in late November without even getting numb fingers
2811. sunshine
2812. Jeff :: the girl's soccer coach
2813. a fun second-grade concert

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2778. hope
2779. wrinkly baby foreheads peeking over shoulders :: I can hardly stand it!
2780. how the grain of wood looks after soaking up a bit of stain :: so beautiful
2781. the great energy in church on Sunday
2782. answered prayer
2783. Evelyn home again, after spending the week in the hospital
2784. seeing Clarence back at church on Sunday
2785. tear-inducing laughter with friends
2786. determination and dedication
2787. light at the end of the tunnel
2788. my hard-working, dedicated husband and his amazing {God-given} leadership skills
2789. encouragement and affirmation from others
2790. game night with girlfriends. Boxers or Briefs :: such and fun and funny game!
2791. a great 6.23K with Kirb and the 3 big kids. great way to start off a Saturday. {Jacob finished WAY quicker than I expected him to and Kirb -- who doesn't run and hasn't been training  and running for a year and was wearing JEANS for crying out loud! -- was ahead of me nearly the whole race, although I beat him in the end. My bitterness and jealousy get a bit of a break due to the fact that he is still ache-y 2 days later, whereas I feel just fine, and have since I stepped out of the shower. So extra proud of my boys! The girls had a great time too, and Lydia has declared her desire to run lots more 5Ks with me.}

2792. new, updated pictures of Melvin in the mailbox
2793. Sara Groves. Live!
2794. waking up to our first dusting of snow

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2760. starting the day off in the pool swimming laps {not so hard on the knees and hips}
2761. crafting success following a failed attempt
2762. the excitement and joy of cousins being reunited
2763. thrifting with my niece and sister-in-law
2764. getting into bed after a long day :: good and tired
2765. compliments from strangers
2766. morning in Buffalo with my mom and the little girls
2767. inspiration
2768. celebrating a friends 40th
2769. safe travels for a friend {now praying she gets home as smoothly and safely in a couple weeks}
2770. creating
2771. beautiful fall days
2772. the delicious dinner for 13 Kirb made the other night
2773. nap time
2774. the thrift store
2775. our church
2776. long, warm showers
2777. an extra hour {theoretically to be spent sleeping, but that doesn't usually work out so well when young kids are in the house -- but I'll take the extra hour, even if I can't enjoy any extra sleep}

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday { . . . or tuesday}

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post -- albeit a day late -- which all started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2735. Joe singing in church :: normally he doesn't sing, so it brought my heart a whole bunch of joy
2736. lunch time in an elementary school cafeteria
2737. bookstores :: stacks and stack of books!
2738. the library
2739. autumn :: my very, very favorite
2740. a 2-year-old with a fresh haircut :: being able to see her cute eyes again
2741. hand-me-down costumes
2742. Kirb bringing home a latte for me
2743. being home with no one but a napping 2-year-old when my book took a sorrowful turn and I was crying {dripping nose and all}. no need to explain my crazy weeping over a death that was fictitious.
2744. the funny things our kids say
2745. checking the online grade book and being pleasantly surprised
2746. friends
2747. chalkboard paint
2748. a fabulous {although painfully long} swim meet for our 3 swimmers

2749. brave kids overcoming fears
2750. backyard fires in fall
2751. book club night
2752. seeing a friend's new studio space
2753. my grandma
2754. protection for Sara :: a fall that could have been much worse than it was
2755. Joe on the couch engrossed in a book
2756. carpools
2757. my Bible app and quiet minutes in the morning
2758. a girl smiling, having fun and forgetting her struggles for a few hours while playing four-square {or three-square, as the case would be} with her friends :: being a little girl again for a while and forgetting her adult-size sadness
2759. Jacob picking up Anna from preschool :: the big brother and his little sister walking home down the block together

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

flashback friday

7 years ago this week

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2708. brushing Beka's hair
2709. kids fresh from the tub
2710. a fun visit from the far-away grandparents

2711. a walk around the lake with my mom on a beautiful afternoon
2712. hay rides
2713. kids riding in the tractor cab {"helping" to drive the tractor}
2714. the fun of a corn maze :: and making funny inside-{family} jokes with the kids that make them roll their eyes and chuckle
2715. orange and pink stripes in the sky
2716. a daughter who jumps up from the table, leaving her breakfast, to grab the camera and capture the fleeting beauty of the moment

2717. Sara singing her ABC's all the way through
2718. Jacob home safely after a great 4 days in Chicago
2719. Sunday night youth group
2720. 70 and sunny in late October!
2721. a HUGE pile of leaves in the yard
2722. a post-bedtime movie with Kirb
2723. the amazing talent and creativity and depth of Tyler Perry's work
2724. picking up beautiful leaves on my walk
2725. the fun and excitement of being "boo-ed" and "boo-ing" in return {it's kind of the fall version of a May basket}
2726. Trader Joe's
2727. muenster cheese
2728. pumpkins on our doorstep
2729. the beauty of fall colors :: they seem extra vivid this year
2730. unparalleled youth pastor longevity {the fact that he took me on the same Chicago trip Jacob went on over the weekend more than a quarter century ago is amazing and so fun!}
2731. kids high up in trees
2732. helping move furniture, even though you wish you could do more to really help the hurting
2733. a neighborhood baby shower
2734. really, really fun, exciting pregnancy news!

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

flashback friday

Two of my favorite football players :: Luke & Jacob

Fall 1999